My New Car – Land Rover Discovery Sport

October 12, 2017

A new car is one of those ultimate luxury purchases, don’t get me wrong I love designer handbags and shoes, but for me, I prefer to save my money to spend on our home and afford a nice car. I’ve been a Land Rover girl for the past 8 years, first one was a second-hand Freelander, the style with the wheel on the back, I loved it, there is something about being a little higher on the road that I just prefer. When it came to changing we went again for the Freelander, a new one, but this time changed for the automatic, my first one and I can tell you I was hesitant, but I can’t tell you now why as I love the ease of an automatic. When it came to trading in ‘Thor’, yep, I name my cars, the Freelander had been discontinued and I really wasn’t that keen on the size, or football mum vibe of the huge Discovery, which is when I saw the Discovery Sport, which is kind of a Freelander morphed with the Range Rover Evoque, but you know more boxier.

As 4×4 goes, the Discovery Sport isn’t the cheapest on the market, it is however, the cheapest Land Rover car, although getting inside this beauty is definitely a luxury step up from the Freelander, you instantly feel like it isn’t far off the Range Rover styling inside, it’s modern, fresh and sleek, I just really love all the brushed-metal trim and the swish rising rotary gear stick, and not sure if it is or not, but it does feels roomier, which definitely makes for a nicer ride. Billed as the “adventurous and versatile compact SUV,” the Discovery Sport is surprisingly also a family car, as it comes with seven seats as standard, whether you want them or not. I have to be honest I’m not sure when we would ever need them, but hey, if we ever do they will come in very handy.

Land Rover Discovery Sport – Features

For me, it wasn’t about family-friendly but making it more sporty, so we went for the HSE Black model, which means you get black trim everywhere instead of silver on the exterior to match the slightly larger gloss black alloy wheels, while inside the leather is more luxurious. It also has some tech options as standard such as the rear view camera, lane departure warning that scared me to death as it vibrates the steering wheel when it detects that the car has unintentionally drifted from its lane, touchcscreen satnav, a power towbar, and you know the all important heated seats!!!

Our model also has one other amazing feature, a panoramic roof, which when we were looking we kind of dismissed as though we didn’t need it, but now we have it the natural light it a must as it just makes the whole car feel more airy and spacious and so lovely on a gorgeous sunny day.

Land Rover Discovery Sport – Interior & Colour

I think its the interior of the Discovery Sport that surprised me the most, it really has been given a luxury makeover from the Freelander model, which is nice to see, kind of reflects the price tag a little more. The seating also feels more luxurious, the leather looks more expensive and I love the improved lumbar support in the driver seat, such a comfortable car to drive.

They have got rid of the armrests, which I missed for a whole second, instead the cushioned lid of the raised centre cubby doubles as an armrest. The controls such as air-con and heating are all easily reached and logically placed, so easy to figure out, which is nice, and the touch-screen satnav console seems have had a bit of an update, much easier to use than the one I was used to on the Freelander. The central cubby also houses the USB socket, so you can charge your phone on the go, and there is also a secret storage section that can house a small camera in securely. There are also two cupholders.

When it came to the colour of the car we weren’t sure what to go for, our last one was red, so we knew we didn’t want to repeat that, so at first we opted for a dark blue, changed our mind for the dark green when we saw another car in it, and then Land Rover changed the colours on us and scrapped both options. They instead replace them with Byron Blue, which we went for, a little risky as we literally saw it on a picture taken from a tiny swatch, but you know we had a feeling, and I’m so pleased we did as it has gorgeous two-tone quality at about it. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes grey, but always different and really does standout, especially with the black pack and tinted windows.

Land Rover Discovery Sport – Final Thoughts & Price

Look I’m not going to talk about running costs, engine sizes, torque output, noise factors, or even resale values, because to be honest TopGear can do that better than me, what I can tell you about are the features that I like and what attracted me to the Discovery Sport. I live in the countryside, which was one of the factors, it makes for a smooth ride no matter what bumpy country lane we are on, it is also comfortable to drive and be a passenger in, which is important when you drive longer distances.

Of course, this isn’t a drive to-and-from the station kind of car, too nice for that, but I do use it to go shopping, I don’t have a problem parking as the rear view camera is amazing when reverse parking, and the boot space means I never have an issue with the weekly food shop. I also use it to take Falcon to the beach and woods for his mini adventures. The boot has lots of room for him and he can fully crash out on the way home after a long walk. Plus, I love driving this on long journeys up the motorway, the cruise control comes in very handy.

Unlike the larger Discovery, I love the sportier look, it has a Range Rover feel about it, and the interior matches that with the more upmarket feel, and that panoramic roof really is a must, really does make the whole car look so much better when it’s open. If you are thinking about buying, do look at the black pack as it really does add an extra level of cool to the exterior, those gloss black wheels are amazing.

Pricing: Discovery Sport starts just under £30k and depending on model and options goes up close to £50k, so defintately an investment car.

I bought my Land Rover Discovery Sport from Barretts Canterbury Land Rover, which I can’t recommend more, amazing service and very knowledgeable on the products. If you live in the Kent area you should definitely check them out.